{Old maid}.
(a) A woman, somewhat advanced in years, who has never
been married; a spinster.
(b) (Bot.) A West Indian name for the pink-flowered
periwinkle ({Vinca rosea}).
(c) A simple game of cards, played by matching them. The
person with whom the odd card is left is the old
maid.

{Old man's beard}. (Bot.)
(a) The traveler's joy ({Clematis Vitalba}). So named
from the abundant long feathery awns of its fruit.
(b) The {Tillandsia usneoides}. See {Tillandsia}.

{Old man's head} (Bot.), a columnar cactus ({Pilocereus
senilis}), native of Mexico, coveredtowards the top with
long white hairs.

{Old sledge}, an old and well-known game of cards, called
also {all fours}, and {high, low, Jack, and the game}.

{Old squaw} (Zo["o]l.), a duck ({Clangula hyemalis})
inhabiting the northern parts of both hemispheres. The
adult male is varied with black and white and is
remarkable for the length of its tail. Called also
{longtailed duck}, {south southerly}, {callow}, {hareld},
and {old wife}.

{Old style}. (Chron.) See the Note under {Style}.

{Old Testament}. See {Old Testament} under {Testament}, and
see {tanak}.

{Old wife}. [In the senses
b and
c written also {oldwife}.]
(a) A prating old woman; a gossip.

Refuse profane and old wives' fables. --1 Tim.
iv. 7.
(b) (Zo["o]l.) The local name of various fishes, as the
European black sea bream ({Cantharus lineatus}), the
Americanalewife, etc.
(c) (Zo["o]l.) A duck; the old squaw.

Look at other dictionaries:

Old squaw — Squaw Squaw (skw[add]), n. [Massachusetts Indian squa, eshqua; Narragansett squ[^a]ws; Delaware ochqueu, and khqueu; used also in compound words (as the names of animals) in the sense of female.] A female; a woman, especially a married woman; a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

old squaw — oldwife oldwife n. 1. (Zo[ o]l.) The local name of various fishes, as the European black sea bream ({Cantharus lineatus}), the American alewife, etc. [WordNet 1.5] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) A tropical Atlantic fish ({Bessy cerca}). [WordNet sense 1] Syn:… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

old-squaw — ˈ ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ noun : a common sea duck (Clangula hyemalis) of the more northern parts of the northern hemisphere of which the adult male is marked with sharply contrasted black and white and has the middle tail feathers very long and slender and the … Useful english dictionary

old-squaw — noun Date: 1838 a common sea duck (Clangula hyemalis) of the more northern parts of the northern hemisphere called also long tailed duck … New Collegiate Dictionary